Colbie Young gives Georgia more hope he’ll return: ‘I really feel great’

NEW ORLEANS — Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo thought Colbie Young’s season was over. The Georgia play-caller described the leg fracture Young suffered in Georgia’s regular-season game against Ole Miss as heartbreaking. So did running back Nate Frazier.

“Knowing his injury, I was just thinking, ‘Oh yeah, oh my God, he’s done,’” Frazier said.

Yet, that was not the end of Young’s story for the 2025 season.

“The thought was definitely in my head that it was done,” Young said Tuesday. “But, you know, every day, like, our guys are winning, performing the way they do, just kept a confidence in me to work from there.”

The latest availability report shows that the Georgia pass catcher has a very real chance of playing for the Bulldogs on Thursday against Ole Miss in their College Football Playoff quarterfinal game in the Sugar Bowl (8 p.m., ESPN). He was listed as probable on the injury report.

Young was practicing with Georgia on Saturday and had no limitations while going through drills.

“There’s no hesitation, you know,” Young said. “If I wasn’t fully confident in my performance and how I could play, I wouldn’t be out there, so I really feel great.”

Young wasn’t ready to guarantee he’d be out there against Ole Miss, but the senior receiver feels he’s making progress.

Before his injury, Young was a major weapon in the Georgia offense. He tallied 23 receptions for 336 yards and a touchdown in Georgia’s first seven games. He caught a 35-yard pass from Gunner Stockton on the opening play of the first Georgia-Ole Miss game.

But because of his leg injury, he has not played since.

Yet, Young never lost faith that he could still help the team. He’s stayed engaged throughout the year.

“Even when he wasn’t playing, just having a positive energy and still impacting the receiver room was something that I really noticed early on,” wide receiver Zachariah Branch said. “And I kinda wanted to play harder for him as well. Sometimes people can get injured and get taken out of the game, and then they kinda disappear, and they’re all down on themselves. But he was nothing like that. He had great energy, always encouraging the guys and things like that. He was working hard to come back, and now he’s looking pretty good.”

Branch’s numbers have exploded since Young left the lineup, as he has 73 receptions for 744 yards and five touchdowns. Having Young back on the field could help open things even more for the junior wide receiver.

Despite missing the past six games, Young ranks second on the team still in yards and is third in receptions. If he plays against Ole Miss, Georgia believes he’ll help open up the passing offense.

“He’s worked his way back,” Bobo said. “But he was a big body that was making plays for us on the perimeter. Not just 50-50 balls. He was catching the ball, explosive after the catch. He was an extremely physical blocker. I talked about him, I think, in the preseason, maybe the spring, last time I talked to y’all about how he was leading that room.”

Wide receivers coach James Coley added: “He was driven to get in all the extra sessions without missing meetings and all that. That’s what I’ve seen. I’ve seen a guy who’s very passionate about being a great teammate and a good football player.”